10-19-14 Furfunding Highlights

This week’s illustration is from Hiorou’s  webcomic, Eorah, now on Indiegogo. 

Good grief, it’s been an interesting week for furry-inspired tabletop RPGs, with two compelling projects–the first, Ultimum, is more interesting for what it threatens to do to the RPG industry (I really don’t know enough about the game’s story to get a read on it), and the fascinatingly weird and surreal post-apocalypse game, Genestorm. And I can absolutely rabbit on about TRPGs for hours, so…I won’t. Maybe later.

Instead I want to talk about two semi-relevant projects that are kind of neat. The first because of its crazy high pledge level, the second because, well, it’s an anthology comic that’s welcomed some furries into its fold, and that’s pretty neat.

Let’s start with those ears.

This is a fur-friendly accessory–headphones with outward-facing speakers (neat, probably a little tinny, but neat), LEDs in a range of colors, and kitty-cat stylings. And they have made…can you believe it? over $1 million in pledges. I can’t believe it. I’m frankly agog. There’s been other neko-themed headphones, but this one’s really taken off. The ravey lights are probably a factor, and the unusual outward-facing speakers, too–it’s kind of a neat “everything” project, well worth a look. I’m pretty sure I’ll be seeing the Axent Wear Cat Ear headphones at Texas Furry Fiesta, I’ll be looking for them.

This is a neat “furry gone mainstream” project, and I’m excited to see it. Okay, kitty ears aren’t really furry, are they? More anime? Maybe, that’s probably where they started, but the energy of the kitty cat ear may be one of the things that’s pulled our little fandom into the mainstream. Cat ears broke the ice. Next, kangaroo tails. Mark my word.

Next, Armorous–and I have misspelled that so many times! Armorous is not specifically a furry story or product,, although “furries” and “erotic fantasy comics” go hand-in-paw (sure, hand) for a long way back. But it is very furry-welcoming, with three furry artists on board–in particular Grisser,  Brandon Zuckerman, and Redic Nomad, with at least 10 artists besides, and a host of monsters and not so monstrous monsters by the non-furs, too. Medieval fantasy is generous to anthro fans.

The project is an erotic fantasy anthology comic, maaaybe smut, maaabye just playful romp. Hard to say, could easily be both. The promise of the comic is to be a light treatment of a wide variety of sexuality in a medieval fantasy mode–not any one orientation. Though there does seem to be a lot to love for people who like big, brutal, and musclebound, so there’s that. It looks a bit like the weight of the book is evenly distributed between bricks and feathers.

Anyway, playful, friendly, and furry-inclusive without being furry-specific. I look forward to seeing this project in print.

Reviews this week: I’m apparently a sucker for historical comics. This week is the 1929 historical/humor webcomic, Rudek and the Bear.

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For a “complete” list of furry/fur-friendly crowdfunding projects, check out the Project Page and Patreon Page!

New Projects

Children’s Products

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Bear (Ends: 11/12/2014)
Another adorable children’s book about adorable bears. It’s pretty cute.

Comics/Graphic Novels

Rudek and the Bear V1 (Ends: 11/13/2014)
Web-to-print of Rudek and the Bear, an historical/humor anthro web comic set in 1929 Poland

Eorah the Webcomic (Ends: 12/5/2014)
Fundraiser for the Eorah fantasy webcomic by Hiorou

The Golden Week (Patreon ongoing funding)
Furry slice of life webcomic, available in *so* many languages
So really, I’m just in love with his lion character.

Costumes/Crafts

Axent Wear Cat Earphones (Ends: 11/7/2014)
Cute kitty headphones with little external speakers and glow effects, in a rangeo f colors.
Can I just say, $1,159,000? Really? Wow. This is not the first cat-ear headphone project I’ve seen, but it’s the most wildly successful.

Events

F3 Convention (Ends: 11/4/2014)
Crowdfunding for the F3 furry convention in Missouri

Film/Animation/Theater

The Last Remaining Ocelots (Ends: 11/15/2014)
Documentary about the two remaining populations of ocelots in Texas

Tabletop Games

Werewolf: Dystopia (Ends: 11/14/2014)
A gritty, grungey urban variant of the Werewolf: Public Domain Card Game
So tired of werewolf. So tired of werewolf.

Genestorm (Ends: 11/15/2014)
A surreal post-apocalypse tabletop RPG with GORGEOUS B&W art by Dirtiran
Ohmigosh, the artwork here is strange and evocative. Wow. By the designer of the ‘Albedo’ RPG.

Ultimum (Ends: 12/13/2014)
Tabletop scifi/fantasy RPG with rich and seamless RPG support, humanity returns to earth after long millenia of absense.
Most of the kickstarter project page focuses on the tech side, I’m a little unsure of the setting. There’s a bit more on their website, though.

Toys

Fruitimals Plush Toys (Ends: 11/20/2014)
Cuddly fox-oranges, pigmelons, squidples, and aubergenuins

Video Games

The Land of Eyas (Ends: 10/29/2014)
A charming puzzle/platform video game, a little Binding of Isaac and a little Where The Wild Things Are.

Savages – The Inner Beast (Ends: 11/15/2014)
Sort of Sasquatch: The RPG, a video game about finding your inner monster.

Adult

Armorous (Ends: 11/7/2014): A fantasy erotic comic anthology featuring, among others, the work of Grisser and Redic-Nomad

…Just for fun

Bacon’s Bow Ties (Ends: 11/16/2014): This is cute little bow ties for kittens. Right there is your elevator speech.
Giger’s Universe (Ends: 12/6/2014): A virtual museum of Giger’s media and art. You know, the Alien’s ‘Xenomorph’ guy, one of the world’s creepiest artists.

What’s Corbeau Backing This Week? This month is oh-so-expensive! But I shook my couch cushions a little and got enough pennies to get a copy of Armorous when it comes out.